Games With Component Elements Having Luminescent Surfaces Enabling Play in the Dark

ABSTRACT

A plurality of games having luminescent components are provided so that the games can be played in low-light environments. All or selected surface areas of parts are made sufficiently visible by the luminescence so that a player is able to recognize that parts and correlate movement between the parts required to play the game in low-light environments.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/697,022 filed Apr. 5, 2007. This application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Appl. No. 60/858,534 filed Nov. 13, 2006. The entire disclosure of the foregoing applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to various games having cooperating parts, at least part of which are made luminescent, whether it be by phosphorescence, so that they are self- illuminating in the dark, or by fluorescence, so that they are stimulated by light, visible or invisible, such as ultraviolet light in low light or apparent darkness. The concept is to make the parts sufficiently visible and recognizable for what they are that the player who is active at the time is able to correlate movement between the cooperating parts required to play the game in the darkness.

NATURE OF THE INVENTION

In practice the invention is applicable to games of various types, and in particular, to three principal categories. Each requires a field of play, which may be an actual field of play or “court” of some sort, all or part of a table top, or a portable game board. Most fields of play are subdivided into specific areas for specific purposes and therefore require, at minimum, luminescent boundary markers to define the field of play and also allow determination of “out of bounds” and boundary markers defining subareas for designated activity or penalty as defined by the rules of the particular game. Such boundaries may be luminescent strips superimposed on, or substituted for lines, strips or stripes which are visible in daylight or artificial light, but not in the dark. Associated with the field of play of some such games may be goals, including three dimensional structures which may be constructed of luminescent material or have portions thereof made of or covered with such materials at least to the extent needed to give players a good indication of size and shape and critical functional openings therein. Equipment for playing such games may also preferably have luminescent marking sufficient to indicate size, shape, orientation and movement of each piece of equipment.

In one aspect, luminescent markings are applied to game boards, including conventional games, such as checkers and chess, which include game areas. The game areas, which constitute fields of play and subareas thereof, have boundary markers which are themselves pieces of luminescent material or are coated with luminescent material in the form of tape or other paint forms of luminescent material able to be adhered to or coated onto desired areas of the field of play so that critical areas of play may be seen in the dark or low light. Such games frequently have at least one separate game piece for each player, and sometimes many. If there are multiple players competing in playing the game at the same time, in addition to being luminescent the game pieces need to be of different color, or bear other identifying symbols which can be seen in the dark. Phosphors similar to those used for color television screens might supply color. In some games, such as chess, the play pieces are of different shapes having significance in the moves they can make and other aspects of the game. In such case, mere identification of play piece may not be sufficient to play the game so that the luminescent areas need to sufficiently distributed over the surface to identify the shape of each piece.

Other forms of games may,include games providing all or part of a table top, such as ping pong and pool or billiards. Such games include areas of play to be made visible in the dark in a similar way, such as employing luminous boundary stripes around the area of play, particularly in games like ping pong that designate subareas of the table for use in serving, luminous lines to identify those service areas, or other designated are necessary. Also the top of the net and the bottom may be luminescent. The net could be fabricated with luminescent ribbons along its bottom and top and their boundaries can be painted with luminescent paint. In such games a single ball is the game piece, and it may be luminescent, at least over enough of the surface to be visible from numerous directions. Pool requires many balls, but since the balls are initially stationary and only one is struck at a time to initiate movement, each ball may only need sufficient luminescent area to show its location, size and shape. In some cases just the numbering may need to be luminescent; but with enough phosphor or other coloring in the luminescent coating it may be possible to produces traditional ball colors in traditional configurations that glow to make the game more attractive.

Finally, it is possible to apply the invention to field or court games, but playing such games in the dark usually is not feasible because good visibility is such an important factor where movements at high speed is required and body contact is permitted under the rules and commonplace in play. On the other hand, some of the skills can be practiced by a single player alone. For example, a single person can derive exercise and acquire greater skill by practice on a partial basketball court which has full court dimensions, the bounds of which are marked off by luminescent tape borders simulating out of bounds boundaries, foul shot markers and a 3 point circle, and other marks useful in marking actual distances for shots. In many cases only one end of the court needs to be marked and parts or all of some marking can be omitted. The basketball ball is now the game piece that is marked to show its size and shape by sufficient coating of the ball with luminescent paint or other coating or providing such marks to convey the same information. The backboard may also be painted with luminescent paint or have its edges marked with luminescent tape so that the dimensions of the board can be understood as well as the location determined. The hoop of the basket may also be marked to identify its position on the backboard. While other court and field sports may have the playing field marked, the game piece coated or marked and goals and other three-dimensional accessories or equipment marked in such a way that size orientation and location of any scoring area is defined, safety may dictate a highly modified form of use from that in the normal game played in lighted areas. Having coated balls on hand, and goal marking in place, as well as floodlights or other devices for producing the proper wave length energy radiation to activate the luminescent material employed, all installed and connected to batteries or another alternative power source by switches and ready to be used when needed much reduces the activity required when the lights go out to taping selected marking with luminescent tape. That may need to be done using flashlights which could be stored with the tape and luminescent balls and any tools that allow rolling the tape into place.

Although the board games can be sold in the conventional way, perhaps with an ultraviolet light source to stimulate light of coating and solid pieces of material on which they work to produce luminescence. Additionally, kits can be assembled and sold for court and field uses for converting all or part of visible light game venues to luminescent facilities, optionally with ultraviolet or similar limited visibility light sources to stimulate the desired effects. Such kits may contain adhesive tape which has a luminescent surface at least on the side opposite the adhesive and a container of luminescent paint sensitive to wave energy of the same wave lengths that energize luminescent material on the tape for coating critical goal area and boundaries of the structure and any other obstacle that the purchaser deems dangerous. Instructions may, of course, accompany the kit to explain application of it materials and their use, including the stimulating energy source needed to illuminate their luminescent materials and limitations on size and location of the sources relative to the field of the game. Some kits may include illumination sources and alternative power sources and their electrical connection or the connection with instruction as to what batteries or other power source is required. Optionally some kits may include a tool or equipment for application of tape and/or paint. Coated balls or other game pieces may not be included in kits because more selectivity by the players or teams may be required and various competitive game pieces, presumably from the sources of conventional equipment of the same type may be offered from which to select.

More specifically, according to one aspect, the present invention involves improvement of conventional game devices modified for use in what appears to be very low lighting or essentially dark conditions. The game then comprises a playing surface, selected areas of which are made luminescent to identify areas of play. At least one playing piece used with the playing surface has at least some surface area which is made luminous to permit location of the piece and allow its movement relative to the playing surface.

The game in some forms may have a plurality of game pieces, at least one game piece for each player and that player's piece being of different color of luminescent material from that of each others' pieces. Where the game requires more than one piece per player, all of each player's pieces may be the same color or they may be different from each other. In some cases, such as chess, the shape of various pieces may be different from one another and the shape and size can be indicated by the luminescent markings on it

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one application of the present invention improvement applied to the board game: checkers;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another application of the present invention improvement applied to another board game: chess;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from above looking down on a corner of a pool table top, with balls and a cue, to all of which improvements of the present invention have been applied; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from above looking down at one end of a basketball court with backboard and hoop basket goal to all of which improvements of the present invention have been applied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

As explained above, the present invention is directed to various types of games in which the field of play, whether it be a game board or a court or table, can be defined by delineating boundaries of the field of play and limited by position relative to the field of play and size of area defined by the rules of the particular game. According to the present invention boundaries and other defining markings are supplied by luminescent means which enable those markings to be seen in the dark or low light and therefore played without daylight or conventional lighting. Game pieces with which the game is played are also marked in ways that, at a minimum, enable their location to be seen and known so that they can be moved relative to the field of play. In some situations luminous marking must be such that the shape and size of the piece are readily discernable as well. If the game involves throwing the game piece, such as a basketball, the target area or goal and particularly opening thereof to receive the piece, whereby scoring is achieved, must also be luminously marked. In some case whole areas may be made luminous, not just the borders of areas on a game board, or the whole game piece instead of limited markings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show embodiments of the invention as applied to checkers and chess, respectively. In both games, the game board may take many forms physically, but both games are played on the same checkerboard surface pattern, generally designated 10 in FIGS. 1 and 10′ in FIG. 2. Preferably, custom checkerboards have had a planar square configuration made of 64 same size square player game piece positions, constituting subareas of the checkerboard. The player piece positions are arranged in a matrix of eight contiguous columns and eight contiguous rows, preferably completely filling and defining the checkerboard. Adjacent square player piece positions 12 and 14 in FIGS. 1 and 12′and 14′ in FIG. 2 alternate in employing two colors, classically black and red. If these colors are used, the red would be easier to make luminescent from a more readily available red phosphorescent materials, but the colors need not be conventional; and both colors may be made luminescent if different luminescent colored materials are selected. The luminescent area 12 or 12′ may be printed or painted with luminescent paint or ink, or they may be composed of luminescent material such as a suitable resinous material adhered to board surface, or inlaid into the board 10 or 10′. If only one color of luminescent material is used, the coated squares will be visible in the dark game conditions because they have been prepared to glow under game lighting, such as ultraviolet, selected for that display. The other squares will be clearly defined also by the bounding luminescent squares so as to be just as easily accessible for placement of game pieces during play. Any suitable material which has the required luminescent properties and can be prepared as a coating, molded itself or included in some other moldable material which can be formed into game pieces.

If desired, a luminescent border may be provided of similar materials as those used in the player piece positions around the actual checkerboard square or spaced as a frame from the edge of the playing board; but such decorative features are purely optional because the checkerboard luminescence will provide all guidance needed for those placing pieces on selected piece positions during actual playing of the game in the dark.

The games pieces themselves are preferably of conventional shape, e.g., conventional short cylindrical form as shown in FIG. 1, and, if desired, may be variously decorated as desired. In checkers, as suggested in FIG. 1 by numbering, game pieces 16 a for one player are of one color and game pieces 16 b for the other player are of another color, as in conventional checkers except that the pieces must either be made of luminescent material themselves, or have an insert of such material, or be painted or otherwise marked with luminescent paint. Such marking allows individual pieces to be seen and identified by the different colors as belonging one player or the other. The game in all other respects is played like the familiar checkers game except that it may be played in the dark.

A chess board having game pieces in place is shown in FIG. 2. The chess board is the same as a checkerboard so that all things said about the checkerboard in connection with FIG. 1 are applicable to the board of FIG. 2. Like checkers the game may come in various sizes and the board may be semi-permanent or portable. If portable, in either case, making it of lightweight material but still of material which is at least semi-rigid and foldable may be preferable and should not be harmful to the modified board. Since the board is essentially the same the number designators used on the board parts in FIG. 1 are repeated in FIG. 2 with the addition of primes thereto.

The game pieces, or chessmen may be made in as many forms as they appear in with present chess sets. Whichever way they are formed, they will need to marked in much the same way as checkers game pieces, except for the further complication that there is more than one type of piece. Therefore, in the dark, the marking is needed not only to locate the piece but to identify whether it is a pawn 18 a or 18 b, rook 20 a or 20 b, knight 22 a or 22 b, bishop 24 a or 24 b, queen 26 a or 26 b or king 28 a or 26 b, each of which must be separately identified in order to apply whatever inherent moves are attributed to that piece. If the piece is entirely coated or molded of solid material that includes a source of translucence, there is no problem. However, while only marking with the color of the player is sufficient for checkers, with chess men the marking must show enough of the shape to identify which specific piece is where on the board. It is also desirable to show the dimensions of each piece to avoid collisions. Clearly marking to show size and shape will therefore facilitate the play in the dark.

The present invention applies to board games of all types which people might enjoy playing in the dark or under controlled low or special lighting conditions. Traditional games played with board such as Monopoly®, Scrabble®, UNO®, and Trouble® are a small representative list of games which may use the present invention.

The present invention is also useful in active competitive table top games as represented herein by pool. FIG. 3 shows one corner of a pool table 20, typically supported by six substantial legs 22 at the corners and midway along the length of the sides of a rectangular table 28 supporting a heavy table top, generally designated 24, framed at its edge by a generally rectangular wall 26 having an inside surface 26 a which slopes outwardly as it extends downwardly toward a flat level playing surface 28. The walls 26 a are lined with a flat, resilient bumper strip which is covered by a felt cloth extending over the flat horizontal top 26 b of the walls at the top and meeting a similar cloth covering over the entire horizontal flat playing surface 28 a. The cloth is frequently, but not invariably, green. Spherical balls 30 and 32 are used to play various games moving over the bottom and impacting the bumper wall and other balls. The cue ball 30 is normally white and driven by a cue 34, a long tapered stick terminating in a cushioned tip 34 a which impacts the cue ball 30 by moving the cue along its axial line into the cue ball 30 driving it normally in the direction of alignment of the cue. Most pool games use the cue ball to strike another ball 32 on the table top at a selected point to transfer its inertia to the other ball and drive the other ball toward and into one of the pockets 36 either directly or after bouncing off one of the side walls. The pockets are positioned in each of the four corners and the middle of each of the longer side walls 26 where the walls 26 c are rounded and a conforming rounded hole 27 is provided through the top into the pocket 36 to receive any ball dropping through the hole. The pocket may be a local collection means to catch balls, frequently in the form of a bag made of a strong coarse net and attached at its open top to the table beneath the opening in the top, or a redirection means back to a storage and retrieval bin.

By placing luminescent stripes 38 and 40 by paint or adhesive luminescent tape or permanently inserting or inlaying strips of molded luminescent material into grooves along the top 26 b and/or the bumper faces 26 a of the sidewalls 26. The bounds of the field of play may be defined and illuminated for play in low light or darkness as with the games of FIGS. 1 and 2. Both luminescent strips 38 and 40 are preferably continued around the curved areas above each of the pockets to mark their locations. Pocket hole locations are further identified by providing curved luminescent border stripes 42 of the same type around the front of the holes.

The pool ball may be luminescent just as the game pieces may be. The cue ball also may be completely luminescent and traditionally white. Some choice is provided with other balls by using the traditional colors and marking. The whole ball through the 8 ball may then be the appropriate solid color in luminescent coating, unless a suitable colored phosphor to be mixed with ball material when casting can be made to work. The numbers on the ball in such case can be in non-luminescent circles with the numbers being luminescent. The eight ball can be left traditional black but have sufficient repetition of the FIG. 8 in luminescent coating to show its size and shape. Balls numbered higher than 8 may have a standard colored band for each number which can be done in luminescent coating material as ball is 32 seen in FIG. 3. The cue may also be made visible by adding a band 34 b around the cue just before the tip, and might be extended onto the tip 34 a and at least a lengthwise stripe 34 d the length of the cue, both of luminescent material along the cue.

Other table games such as ping pong simply may include marks on the table top with a luminescent material and luminescent strips along the bottom and the top of the net on both sides. The ball also may be luminescent. The paddles can be seen in the dark by paint or tape of luminescent material applied to the edges to allow each player to see where each paddle is relative to the ball.

Other table and court games, depending on size and frequency of use, etc., may well be better managed by on the site taping with luminescent adhesive tape at the time of use to show boundaries of the court and the entire game piece whether a ball or puck might be made available already coated with luminescent surface coating in most cases.

Kits for marking courts and apparatus with luminescent tape and paint are also provided. Such kits may include luminescent tape for marking boundaries for out of bounds functions and other subareas for penalty shots and other functions necessitated by the rules or nature of the particular game. The kit may also include light element to emit light of the appropriate invisible wave length for energizing the specific type of luminescent materials being employed. Supports for installing the light elements and batteries or other source of power for the light elements may be included. Depending on the use, the kit may include game pieces with luminescent coating in place, such as balls, pucks, shuttle cocks, etc., and in some cases it might include needed equipment for play such as racquets, bats, mallets already coated with luminescent material to make them useful to be seen in their particular game play. Such comprehensive kits may include game rules and instructions about setting up.

FIG. 4 shows part of a basketball court. Basketball and other contact or semi-contact sports is normally not played in the dark for safety reasons, but non-contact practice could well be done. In such case, only one end of the basketball court or even part of it might be used and or special work out area, involving less than a full court might well suffice. In some applications, only a limited amount of luminescent material may be needed to provide the back board 50 and hoop 52 with sufficient marking. Since many basketball courts are indoors, the edge 50 a of the backboard and a rectangle 50 b around the basket might be pre-coated with luminescent paint. The same is true of the hoop 52. Additionally, at least the middle of the backboard stand 54 may be painted or marked with luminescent material in areas at eye level and below to avoid collisions in the dark. In a bare bone practice facility, taping could be limited to the foul line 56 and some of the out of bounds line and the 3 point circle, and that could be decided for individual players and teams using the facility. In some cases the use could not justify painting lines on the floor of a heavily used facility which is normally well lit, so that in such case luminescent tape to cover out of bound lines in selected places could be determined, and tape applied for the limited time needed. Probably many consumers would not want to buy balls and sports equipment preferring instead to select such items on a personal individual basis but in some cases the savings offered by buying a comprehensive kit of all that is needed might be worthwhile.

The areas coated with luminescent material may be irradiated by radiant energy similar to visible light or at a frequency outside of the visible light spectrum. The luminescent material and the source of illumination may be chosen together such that the luminescent material will be energized when illuminated by the selected source of illumination. More specifically, the luminescent material responds to the wave length of radiation to which it is exposed to be energized so that it “lights up” and is visible. There are commercial light bulbs and flood-lights in the essentially invisible ultra violet range of frequencies. There are also commercially available luminescent materials which respond to such light and such materials may be adapted for coating whether applied by brush or other manual means. Finding support may be the more difficult part of any installation. Since many of the present embodiments do not use electrical power there may not be a need for electrical fixtures. If electrical power is needed, an alternate source of power may be provided, such as batteries. If an embodiment includes a illumination source, supports for each illumination source 62 and its power source may be provided and/or included in a kit. To provide appropriate illumination may require engineering design and calculation in many cases to obtain lighting at a satisfactory level Part of such design may include positioning the source of illumination at the proper distance, aimed in the proper direction. Support at such positioning may be designed for the facility to avoid blocking seating or obscuring view of people in the seating. Such design may involve constructing platforms or other supports. FIG. 4 does not show seating or any structure beyond the court but if such an area is provided close enough to the court side, platforms for illumination components may be supported on building structure above the seating.

Alternatively the lighting placement may be planned at a general or specified distance, if the occasion is informal and uncrowded, clamp on-lamp holders may be fixed, for example, to chair backs placed in the best available approximation of where it should be and batteries placed beside it. Movable lampstands 62 a as shown in the FIG. 4 including lampstands, battery holders and connections are another possibility but also require pre-planning and directions to the setup personnel.

Because the possibilities are many in FIG. 4 more than a single source of illuminations 62 is to represent a minimum number directed toward the court from different angles and without regard to specific ways of placing and supplying the illumination. 

I claim:
 1. A game to be played in the dark or under a source of essentially invisible electromagnetic energy or controlled or limited light comprising, a playing surface comprising luminescent markings to identify boundaries of areas of play; a plurality of game pieces comprising luminescence so that the game pieces can be identified in a low-light environment, wherein the pieces comprise a plurality of pieces having a first luminescent color and a plurality of pieces having a second luminescent color that is different from the first color.
 2. The game of claim 1 wherein difference areas of play are identified with differently colored luminescent markings.
 3. The game of claim 1 wherein the game pieces comprise a variety of shapes and the game pieces are formed of luminescent material so that the shape of the game pieces can be identified in low-light environments to distinguish one of a player's game pieces from a different one of the player's game pieces.
 4. A luminescent game, comprising: a court having a surface upon which a person can stand to play a game, wherein the court has a portion that is in-bounds and a portion that is out-of-bounds; a plurality of phosphorescent boundary lines on the surface of the court defining which area of the surface is in-bounds and which area of the surface is out-of-bounds; a projectile having an external surface on which phosphorescent material is applied; a target adjacent the court and elevated above the court surface, configured to receive the projectile, wherein phosphorescent material is applied to a surface of the target; wherein the phosphorescent boundary lines, the phosphorescent material applied to the target and the phosphorescent material on the projectile provide illuminated surfaces without an external source of electricity when the game is played in the absence of ambient lighting.
 5. The luminescent game of claim 4 wherein the target includes a perimeter and phosphorescent material is applied to at least a portion of the perimeter.
 6. The luminescent game of claim 4 comprising phosphorescent secondary marking lines on the portion of the court that is in-bounds, wherein the phosphorescent secondary marking lines designate one or more separate playing areas within the in-bounds area.
 7. A luminescent game, comprising: a court having a surface configured for a person to stand upon to play a game, wherein the court has a portion that is in-bounds and a portion that is out-of-bounds; a plurality of phosphorescent boundary lines on the surface of the court defining which area of the surface is in-bounds and which area of the surface is out-of-bounds; a game piece having an external surface on which phosphorescent material is applied; a goal spaced apart from the surface of the court having an opening for receiving the game piece, wherein phosphorescent material is applied to a surface of the goal; a line on the court spaced apart a pre-defined distance from the goal vertically and horizontally, wherein the line demarks a location for shooting the game piece toward the goal; wherein the phosphorescent boundary lines, the phosphorescent material applied to the target and the phosphorescent material on the game piece provides illuminated surfaces without an external source of electricity when the game is played in the absence of ambient lighting.
 8. The luminescent game of claim 7 wherein phosphorescent material is applied to at least a portion of the goal.
 9. The luminescent game of claim 7 comprising a vertical support extending vertically between the goal and the ground and separate from the goal, wherein phosphorescent material is applied to a least a portion of vertical support.
 10. The luminescent game of claim 9 wherein the portion of the vertical support to which phosphorescent material is applied is vertically spaced below the goal.
 11. The luminescent game of claim 10 wherein the portion of the vertical support to which the phosphorescent material is applied is vertically spaced above the ground.
 12. The luminescent game of claim 10 wherein the portion of the vertical support to which phosphorescent material is applied is vertically spaced below the goal.
 13. The luminescent game of claim 11 wherein the portion of the vertical support to which the phosphorescent material is applied is vertically spaced above the ground.
 14. The luminescent game of claim 8 comprising a vertical support extending vertically between the goal and the ground and separate from the target, wherein phosphorescent material is applied to a least a portion of vertical support.
 15. The luminescent game of claim 14 wherein the portion of the vertical support to which phosphorescent material is applied is vertically spaced below the game structure relating to scoring.
 16. The luminescent game of claim 15 wherein the portion of the vertical support to which the phosphorescent material is applied is vertically spaced above the ground. 